11/7/2019 Tube Amp For Jazz
The best small tube amps will give you pushed tube tones at reasonable volumes. Guitarists who value great tube-driven sound have really come to appreciate portable lower wattage amps that can be pushed without blowing out eardrums. These awesome amps will deliver terrific tones at lower volumes than higher watt counterparts.
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I've had the Roland, after my mid-60s blackface Fender Super Reverb was stole'n in 1975. I tried many amps over the years, and own more than a few, but what I use for most gigs is my Fender Tweed 40W Blues Deluxe. I get a great Jazz tone with that amp and my Heritage Sweet 16.For a very small room I can Get away with my little Laney LC15R with a Carvin 10' speaker. That one really sounds cool when it starts 'breaking up' just a bit with natural distortion.I miss the old days when every corner drugstore had a Tube-Tester and you could check out your amps tubes to see which one or ones needed to be replaced.and you could buy tubes right there! Perhaps I can offer some advice.
Tube amps I have tried:Fender Deluxe Reverb22watts, Jensen speaker, no mid control, great reverb & tremolo. I say this is perfect for small to mid venues, you'd mic the front speakr anyways. You can also ask for Bob at Eurotubes for a retube kit, highly recommended! I think Wes used one DR 65' before the Verve recordings.
If you'd like a little break up in your tone (a la Scofield) that's an amp worth checking out.Fender Blues Jr20watts 1x12 speaker. Little great customizable amp. You can upgrade tubes, caps and/or speaker until you find the right combination for you. Folks say it's stupid buy small amp and spend bucks on upgrades, but I think more like modding your gear to your needs and tastes, jusy like you would with your guitar setup.Groove Tubes Soul-o 45These aren't made anymore because Groove Tubes founder and main guy Aspen Pittman sold to Fender. But now and then one crops up on eBay. If you can try one out, do it.
It's a great jazz-blues-rock combo amp. No reverb though, but fantastic tube sound.Traynor YCVWR40I own one. 40watts, 1x 12 Celestion Vintage 30 speaker. It's a little bright sounding with single coils, humbuckers sound best. I got the extension cab which opens up the sound even more.
Traynor amps are underrated IMHO.Roland Jazz Chorus 120Ok, not tube but a class on its own. The best for pure clean headroom at any volume. I played couple times with one, I'd say it's a beautiful sound on it's own, solid state but very organic, shimmering clean but not harsh.
If I had the dough I'd buy me one for sure.I wouldn't want to carry around a heavy combo like a Fender Twin (I hurt my back carrying one some time ago) so I'd go for somethin' small around 20-50 watts. If you need more juice, then you'd ask FOH guy for more guitar in your monitor mixYou could also get a head, and use cabs provided by venue/band. A Michael Brecker concert I attended some time ago.
If I remember correctly, guitar guy plugged into a Line6 module then straight to 4x10 cab.Hope this helps.Peace! I just ordered a Headstrong Lil' King. Played it quite a bit a a shop with my guitar (a semi), a Sadowsky Jimmy Bruno (Ahhh, that was an awesome playing instrument.) hanging on the shelf, and a couple other cool things. It was warm and tonally beautiful. I modded my order a little. I got the innards of the Lil' King, which is a Princeton clone, in a slightly bigger cab.
Anyway, I recommend trying them out.An aside, they had a new Henricksen. The higher wattage one with the 10' speaker. Awesome sounding little guy.
I compared it to the AI with a Raezor's Edge, and liked the Jazz Amp better. Mind you, the AI was fantastic in it's own right. I've had the Roland, after my mid-60s blackface Fender Super Reverb was stole'n in 1975. I tried many amps over the years, and own more than a few, but what I use for most gigs is my Fender Tweed 40W Blues Deluxe. I get a great Jazz tone with that amp and my Heritage Sweet 16.For a very small room I can Get away with my little Laney LC15R with a Carvin 10' speaker.
That one really sounds cool when it starts 'breaking up' just a bit with natural distortion.I miss the old days when every corner drugstore had a Tube-Tester and you could check out your amps tubes to see which one or ones needed to be replaced.and you could buy tubes right there! +1 for the Fender Blues Deluxe, and underrated amp for jazz I think!40 watts offer enough clean headroom, it's small enough to not scare the rest of the quartet or quintet (as guitarplayers already have a bad name for bringing too big amps along.), and it has a real good tone!I have mine since '94 and still love it! Little jay does the blues deluxe rattle or buzz at high volume i have a blues junior which rattles and resonates at higher volume which has been a let down for me however i like the fender sound so am thinking of upgrading to the deluxe unless anyone knows of a cure for the blues junior rattle(hmmm great title for a tune there)(At the risk af hijacking the threadGingerjazz,I think rattle is usually caused by the (power)tubes, when the many small metall parts inside get loose. Due to the design of a combo-amp, the speaker is very close to the tubes, so those get bangered by all the frequencies the speaker throws out. You do the maths: rattle will occur at some point!In my experience, EL84 tubes are even more suseptible to rattle. I have a Peavey Classic 20 with EL84s, in which I use only EL84M tubes, being the russian military variety (so I'm told) that's more robust and doesn't rattle (so far).
The 6L6 tubes in the Blues Deluxe also can develop rattle, but I think - due to their design? - not so often and so quick as the EL84s.So to answer your question: yes, I have experienced rattle in the Blues Deluxe, that was always solved with changing the (power)tubes. The more robust a tube, the less rattle. Unfortunately, the most robust tubes are not always the best sounding ones!
(I like TADs for example, but they seem very vulnerable and wear out quickly). Of the current production tubes, simple Sovteks last the longest is my experience.I recall that the Blues jr can also get very hot, due to a hotter bias-setting. Hot tubes rattle easier I believe. So to cure your rattle:- adjust your bias so that the tubes run cooler (does affect the sound though)- use more robust tubes.
I wonder if anyone has experienced with archtops through acoustic amps and what do they think about those amps? The acoustic amp is supposed to maintain the guitar's acoustic signal, so, I'am assuming it should be easy and straight forward to get that clean jazz signal. I heard that Jimmy Bruno once played through a Fender Acoustasonic Jr Amp.Can you use the tone controls on an acoustic amp and dial in that warm jazz tone for archtop?
I'm not sure about getting a 'fat' tone from acoustic amp though. I played so many nice archtops though Henriksen amps with tweeters at the store and they sounded great. But the Henriksen I liked was $1,200 plus tax and I am trying to get a warm jazz tone for about $400. I have Fender Acoustasonic 30W and Hartke Ribbon 150W, both being acoustic amps and I still can dial a relatively nice tone from both and both were about $300 - $350, but I am not convinced that it is a true jazz sound. Does anyone else think it is doable to get the jazzy tone from an acoustic amp? This is my first post. But I've been playing over 40 years.I am the very happy owner of a GT Soul-O 45 and have been for a long time.
It's a great amp and contrary to the earlier post, it DOES have built-in reverb. Some people do not like the reverb.
Personally, I only use a little and it's fine.I have not plugged a Sadowsky archtop into it, but the amp loves my Fender D'Aquisto and Gibson ES-347. I added a closed-back Avatar 1x12 to it with an Eminence and that adds a bit of girth to the sound while still leaving the whole rig a lot more portable than a Twin or even Pro Reverb.I have run the amp with KT88s and currently have 6l6s in it. Both set-ups are great. Good luck in your quest, but if you get a chance to play through a 45, I think you might decide to stop there.
My prior amps include Pearce G2r, Pearce G1, early silverface Princeton Reverb, etc. The 45 has made me very, very happy. My first post too. (Please be indulgent about my English, be sure my French is better) and I've been playing over 51 yearsI have played (and owned) a Polytone Minibrut II, an AER Compact 60, an Henriksen Jazzamp 10 and I finally found my happiness with the Acoustic Image (bought through j-Hale music ).
Jean-Pierre - Bienvenu! (I studied French all through high school and college many years ago.
So of course, the US Govt sent me to Costa Rica in Peace Corps. Go figure.) Your English is great.I have been tempted to downsize as you did. I play bass out and went from 160 lbs of gear to 40 by selling my GK-800rb, rack, and Ampeg cabinets. I now use a Markbass Little Mark II with Acme Lo B-1 cab on a stand. I miss the macho image of a stack, but nothing else.
The Chameleon is intriguing, especially.A bientot.
Today we are taking a look at the 5 best small tube amps in 2019 to get a good look at the best compact options out there.Many of us need a smaller practice amp or something with less volume to satisfy the neighbors. There are a number of out there but the smaller options tend to be as the technology is easier to miniaturize.For many connoisseurs out there a solid-state amplifier just isn't an option.
Some of us have a penchant for the warm vintage tones of an analog amp and nothing else will do.Luckily in the modern age, we live in there are many smaller options becoming increasingly available at a reasonable price to satisfy the tube lovers who need something with less of a footprint. First up today is a very reasonably priced mini tube amp option from Monoprice a company that aim to keep the costs of equipment access as low as possible. It is a very versatile amplifier.
It is a solid framed durable open-backed cabinet which is great for keeping tubes cooled. It harbors an 8 inch Celestion speaker within its confines. The Celestion Super 8s are quickly becoming a new industry standard for small amplifiers. Next up is another 8-inch option this time a whopping 30 watts from Behringers fantastic Bugera amplification division which is retailing the same price as the 5-watt tube amp from Monoprice above. It too features a 12AX7 pre-amp and provides a fantastic vintage tone. The speaker is a custom signed built in-house Bugera speakerIt features a master volume control as well a 2 band equalization to achieve your desired tone. You can use the gain button to kick it up a notch to lead/distortion mode.
It has reasonable headroom before breaking up and can be connected to external playback devices via a ¼ inch jack for practicing along to your tracks. It also has a headphone jack for midnight silent shredding.It has a balanced sound and good versatility for sculpting your own practice tone, it is compact and delivers a punch.Pros:+ 30 watts.+ Compact.+ Tone control and gain.
The Set5 from California tone research makes for a fantastic solitary practice amp. It delivers 5 watts of pure A class power and has an 8 inch premium high output speaker. It again features a 12 AX7 pre-amp but the power tube is an ELL84. It has that Californian vintage tone and is ideal for jazz blues and surfs rock genres.It is compact and lightweight which is essential for a lug around amp. It has a great bedroom level volume and a little in the kitty to play with. It is a 115V mains amplifier and provides a fantastic peak volume a breaks up well for a 5-watt option.The tone ability is fairly diverse and its simplicity is a great aspect. It is classic black with a rugged grille providing a cool understated aesthetic quality.Pros:+ Easy to use.+ Pleasant vintage tones.+ Compact and well made.
We couldn't review tube amps without mention of a Marshall and the MG10CF makes for an awesome small tube combo amp entry that speaks for the companies reputation.This one is a 10-watt tube guitar amp option, it has 2 channels with channel select, each has independent volume controls. It also has a line output/mp3 input and headphone option for silent practices.This one is another that sounds much bigger than it looks, it has a lovely warmth, great crunch, and distortion and in general, far exceeds expectations of its humble 10 watts of output power.It is versatile with a diverse set of sound with its clean and overdrive channels as well as gain channel Contour Control giving that meaty Marshall rock flavor. It features a custom built a 6.5-inch speaker and is extremely compact.Pros:+ 10 watts.+ Clean Vs overdrive channels.+ Emulated headphone and line outputs for recording. Last up in our top 5 review, is the rocker 15 from Orange a company known for making some tasty vintage style amplifiers. Now the price tag is far higher than the rest but it is certainly one of the best tube practice amps available.The Rocker15 is an undeniably excellent piece of kit, it has all the advantages of a compact small tube amplifier but it's 15 watts of power pack such a punch it is essentially gig worthy.It features 3 premium industry standard 12AX7 tubes as well as a 12AT7 pre-amp and 2 EL84 power amps. It has 2 channels and straightforward controls.
Channel 1 features 3 bands EQ gain bass and volume controls. Channel 2 has a power switch and built in-tube stereo /mono fx loop.The expert authentic circuitry and dedicated controls are housed in the instantly recognizable open, backed Orange cab, with its notorious retro good looks and vibrancy.Pros:+ Switch between 0,5,1,7 or 15 Watts of output.+ 2 channel.+ Compact size.
Small Tube Amp Buyers GuideIf you need to play at bedroom levels, crave an authentic tube tone and simply won't settle for solid state or digital modeling amp then a small tube amp is going to be on your wish list.The best small tube amps not only provide a lower output, but they are so much easier to carry about. Anyone who owns a high output all tube amplifier knows they can sometimes be pretty strenuous to transport.There are many reasons why you might want to look for a small tube amp option perhaps you are specifically interested in low watt guitar amps but typically it is to lower the decibels in the effort to be good a neighbor, a considerate spouse or reasonable roomie. What is a small tube amp?A small tube amp as the description might divulge is a tube amplifier which is in a smaller size, the tubes themselves and circuitry is smaller as well as the cabinet it is housed within.Tube amps generate heat as they warm through playing so they need some space or cooling method implemented especially in a more compact model. Typically they will be ported or open backed to make sure low ends are capably dealt with as well as let air into it.It is also important to note for those of you who haven't played with a tube amp, they need breaking in, so to speak.
The sounds you get form your brand spanking new amp will not be the general sound capability of your amp it will take a fair few hours of play to warm up to it's potential. Once broken in you will get the lovely, rich, buttery-warmth synonymous with traditional analog amps. Which is the best small tube amp for Jazz?Generally speaking for a Jazz amp you will want a better range of clean tones, for keeping your more intricate work clear. There is a range of decent jazz amps out there many with extra treble control featured brighter or twang-ier tones.From those we have reviewed here today, we suggest the California Tone Research SET5 it is reasonably priced has a lovely smooth jazz vibe and a surfs rock twang. It is affordably priced and if the wattage is not quite enough they make higher output versions to cater to your needs.
How many tubes should a small tube amp have?A low watt guitar amplifier, in general, will have fewer components to run. It should have a minimum of one pre-amp tube and one power tube typically you will find the cheap small tube amps will have this exact setup and not a lot more. The more tubes in the circuitry the more cash you are going to have to fork out. If you really only need solo practice volume levels you won't need much more through the headroom won't be huge before it breaks up.On a budget? Where can you get a small tube bass amp?Small tube amps are better suited to guitars because once they hit a certain clean volume level they begin to break up and distort which is great for a heavy lead break, but not so desirable for a bass.Bass guitars are therefore limited to the amount of headroom available before the amp distorts with their total volume capped where the clean ends.For bass guitar amplification you want something with a decent output around 500 watts minimum, with plenty of room to reverberate, as well as cool the tubes in.
This is why bass amps tend to be much bigger in size. There are some small tube amps out their aimed at catering to basses and if it is just to practice audibly they may do the trick but be warned small amps running low frequencies tend to be fuzzy.Our advice would be not to look at anything below 60 watts minimum and not to expect much below 100 watts. What is the smallest tube amp?There are a number of companies competing on micro tube amplification and as result we even see 1-watt tube amps being produced.
The smallest tube amp title for us is awarded to the Zvex nano guitar amp, it is a revolutionary palm-sized, micro tube amp that packs a surprising punch running an output of just ½ a watt, and has some great features. It is a fantastic tool for traveling guitarists to practice on the road. Check out this video review;ConclusionThe benefits of having something smaller to kick around the house on are glaringly obvious. The majority of us don't practice new tunes on our gigging amps. For bedroom levels, something ridiculously high output is just overkill and will quickly rub the neighbors up the wrong way.Having a smaller quieter option in modern times is practically essential, not to mention they have the advantage of being taken as a traveling amp. Having access to traditional tube amplification with a smaller footprint and a lower output is a blessing. There are plenty of products to peruse, of those we reviewed we lean towards the Orange Rocker 15 but if the money simply won't stretch to that end of the budget scale you might want to try the Marshall instead.
Despite its meager 10 watts is makes for one of the best small tube combo amps about. As ever we are optimistic our small tube mp buyers guide will have answered your niggling questions and given you enough insight into what to look for before you buy the best small tube amp for you. Expert TipIf you regularly perform or need to be able to turn it down when it is inconvenient for others another idea might be to look at a tube amp head as a small tube option. You can hook them up to bigger rigs when the mood and timing suits or disconnect it for a lower level. Did you KnowThe thick full warmer comes from their (at the time) revolutionary BBD circuitry.
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